Merry Christmas from Mongolia

Richie's FIRST Baptism!!

Dear Mom and Dad,
So today has been cold. So lets first get down to business. So my phone call is scheduled for 8 in the morning here but it will be about 5 in the afternoon there on your Christmas evening. I might reschedule because I have english at 8:40 and I really don't want to have to worry about the fact of hurrying over to my english. Soooo, it could be earlier, like 7:00 or 7:30 (about 4 o clock your time) or it could be later like 10:30 which would be around 7:00 in the evening your time. I just want you to be there all sunday afternoon. Then I will probably be able to talk to you. I really might reschedule because I really don't have a lot of time if I talk at 8. So I also decided to send some pictures after all. By the way that red light is the sun. So the weight loss number is officially about 25 pounds. That was really weird to see. I can actually feel some of my bones now. Just kidding. So this week my investigator got baptized. It was really cool. I am really amazed at the fact that I have an investigator that was baptized. It made me feel so wonderful. I got to stand in the circle that gave him the priesthood which was really neat. It has just been a really good experience. Of course it is hard but the fact that one got baptized makes it all worth it. Now I just have to pray that he will endure to the end. I'm so glad you are all having a wonderful time back at home. It is really cool to see the bonding that has gone on in our family while I have been away. It is really cold here. Everything freezes with in a matter of seconds and the coldest part isn't even here yet. Well I am really glad that all of you are praying for me. It has been really hard I admit but I know that if I rely on the lord everything will be better. I wish you all the best of luck and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Love Elder Williams

Dear Mom and Dad,

First of all mom, Happy Birthday!!! I did sing for you all the way
over here in Mongolia. Also I so glad to know that you all like the
types of food I eat. SO one really good thing is that we are having
an investigator baptized this Friday. He has accepted all of our
commitments and I think he will go really far in the church. Now we
are trying to get his relative who also is really good to be prepared.
So today I had to give and exam to one of my English classes. That
was very interesting. Also in a few weeks I have to give a final. I
just have to have time to make the test. Well, I hope you are all
enjoying your holidays. I too am becoming more grateful for Jesus
Christ. I love the fact that even though I will never be perfect that
if I try I will truly be happy. I just have to follow all the
commandments and endure to the end and I will live in eternal
happiness with my family. I am so grateful for the Savior and helping
me overcome all of my weaknesses. So you know that you are in
Mongolia when you walk on a really warm bus and you can still see your
breath. I'm serious. The buses are really warm but I still can see
my breath. It is pretty cold here. I just can't wait for when it
starts warming back up again. I am just amazed at how time flies. It
just keeps going faster and faster. I'm so grateful for being able to
be here. So my language understanding is really picking up but I
still can't say things very well. I will just have to keep trying. I
just hope I can learn it really well. So for Christmas we get to have
kind of a little celebration which should be really fun. Well I am
doing better and I will just keep trying to work my hardest. By the
way I haven't been able to make pizza because I haven't been able to
find yeast. It is here but it seems to be a little hard to find. I
pray for you all everyday and hope you all are doing well. Thank you
so much for your emails. They always make me want to be better and be
a better missionary. I can't wait to be able to go in the temple as a
family again. I really want to go to a temple right now. It is just
so peaceful. Well enough of that. I love you all and I wish you all
a Merry Christmas.

Dear Mom and Dad,

So Mongolia is cold. That is nothing new though. The good thing is that I am still warm and will probably remain warm. So this week has been really good. I have also had some pretty funny stuff happen. First I got to try and talk to seven drunks all at the same time. That was quite interesting. I have already had many experiences with drunks but this kind of stuck out a little. So we were walking and these seven guys told us to come over to them. SO we did and we ended up having a total conversation that absolutely made no sense. So I was trying to understand them and they were trying to understand me and the just started saying names from the San Antonio Spurs and it was really quite funny. But the more I think about it the more I realize why the Lord would have us follow the Word of Wisdom. It allows us to be much more spiritually receptive and strong. Well other than that we had another three people commit to a baptismal date. So right now we have 6. It was cool and we had 3 investigators come to sacrament meeting. It has been really good. It has been a really good day so far. To answer one of Rebecca's questions we do proselyte. We are not allowed to make ITL's and we can't track but we are allowed to find through referrals of members and if someone asks us we are allowed to talk about it. It has been really great. It is weird to think about how much time has already passed since I left on my mission. The days are speeding by. I am almost already half way done with this transfer. Our transfers are every 12 weeks. It is really just cruising and it makes me think just about how much I have done and how much I need to do. We should be having an investigator baptized in about a week or two or at least that is what we are hoping for. He is really strong and he finally received a testimony and an answer from Heavenly Father which has been really great. Well Mongolia is good. I love the food and am beginning to like the really weird types of food. It pretty much tastes like baby vomit but it is beginning to taste pretty good. Oh well. I'm so glad to hear that you are all doing really well. It sounds like your Christmas will be really special this year. I glad to hear about the Robison's and Hansen's. I'm grateful for their prayers. Also thank cousin Brian for the scarf. It has been really helpful. I didn't realize how much it has snowed in Cedar City. It sounds like a lot of fun. So this week I had ice on my eyelashes. That was actually pretty cool. Also my English teaching is getting better and soon they will all have winter break so I have a few weeks to prepare. I love you all and I wish you all the best. Enjoy your beginning of your holidays.

Mom and Dad, I would just like to personally thank you for everything you have sacrificed to get me on a mission. I know that it started the day I was born. I hope you both realize how much I love you and am grateful for your parenting. It really makes realized how close our family is and it is because of the wonderful environment you raised us kids in. I love you and thank you for all you have done.


Dear Sisters,

So Mongolia is great right now. It is getting colder but I am still getting used to it so it is getting a little better. This week has been a little hard because I had a little cold and am now just starting to get better. I'm so glad you write me such wonderful things in your email. It sound like you are living your pre Christmas days the way they should be spent. I know that this year might be a little hard because of our circumstances but always remember what Christmas truly is about. It is about our Redeemer and Savior coming to the world so we could eventually return to live with Heavenly Father. It meant that even though we are not perfect and we sin and make mistakes every day that we could return and experience peace and joy. Also Christmas is about family. It sounds like you are really bonding well there and I am so grateful for your example of how a real Christmas should be spent. You are all truly amazing. In a way it makes me glad I'm gone because it sounds like you are bonding really well together. By the way nice work on the whole TV thing. Now you can watch Bonanza a little more quietly. :) Rachel, I know that you can find some wonderful gifts to give even if you only have 3 dollars. I also know that you are really good at making home made gifts and so I would encourage you to try that. Caelen, it is good to know that you are still yourself. That Mistborn book sounds absolutely awesome. Also thank you for the dancing duck. :) Rebecca, I'm so proud of the way you are handling things. That experience sounds just awesome. I admit I needed to hear that right now. It is not that I have a bad attitude but some day's I am just living and not being as happy as I should be. Thank you. All of you girls I love you so much and feel absolutely free to make my room a place where you can go relax. I have no issues with you making it whatever you want to. Once again I love you all and have a wonderful pre Christmas countdown.

Love Richie